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Amazon is showcasing its big push into cars and transportation at CES

From making cars talk using Alexa's voice to managing data from factories full of robots, Amazon wants a big piece of the action in transportation, and next week at CES will unveil more about its strategy to achieve that goal than ever before. The Seattle retail and cloud services powerhouse plans to use the annual technology show in Las Vegas to unveil its plan to be a major player in self-driving vehicle technology, connected cars, electric vehicles and management of the torrents of data generated by automakers and drivers, company executives told Reuters. Amazon Web Services, which provides large-scale cloud computing and data management services, is central to Amazon's strategy. "We really are extending ourselves more and more out in the ecosystem from manufacturing to connected car," Jon Allen, head of professional services in Amazon Web Services' automotive practice, said in a telephone interview. "The takeaway message on this is if you go to CES this year we really are taking it as a 'One Amazon' view." Until now, Amazon has shown its transportation strategy to investors — and rivals — one piece at a time. Amazon has invested in self-driving software startup Aurora. It also has signed deals with automakers to deliver packages to vehicle trunks, help develop electric vehicle charging networks and use AWS to network their factories. The Seattle company will share the CES stage with partners such as virtual reality firm ZeroLight, electric vehicle startup Rivian, Canada's BlackBerry Ltd and video game software development company Unity Technologies. "It's our attempt to weave everything together in a single experience for our customers," Dean Phillips, AWS' automotive technical leader, told Reuters. "Customers don't distinguish AWS from Alexa from Amazon.com. It's Amazon."   Related: As GM readies Alexa convenience for vehicles, we ponder its dark side   At CES, ZeroLight and GM's Cadillac will demonstrate how they are partnering to develop an online vehicle configuration experience that will allow high-fidelity images of vehicles that consumers build online to be taken with them on visits to dealers, Phillips said. The process can open the door to dealers better meeting customer needs by knowing what users focused on when building their dream car. It has already boosted profit per vehicle at Volkswagen's Audi brand by an estimated 1,200 euros ($1,340), he said.

Man escapes attempted carjacking and catches the incident on his dashcam

(Warning: video contains strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.) A quick-thinking driver avoided a potentially dangerous situation this week in New Mexico when he evaded and attempted car jacking. On the evening of December 6, an unnamed man accompanied a friend to a market near the intersection of Central and San Mateo in Albuquerque. After he saw his friend safely away in her car, he got back into his and pulled out of the parking lot. Almost immediately, as shown in dashcam footage uploaded to Youtube, a red Chrysler 300 began following him. When the driver pulled up to a stop sign around the block from the market, the Chrysler zipped around and pulled in front of him, blocking his forward progress. Figuring he was about to be carjacked, the driver threw the car into reverse and backed quickly away from the Chrysler. The Chrysler followed, and a chase ensured. With the Chrysler close on his tail, the unnamed driver fled through the nearly empty streets. At one point he cut through a gas station when the Chrysler tried to block him at another intersection. As they drove through the city the Chrysler continually tried to stop the fleeing driver, but he successfully evaded every time. The driver called 911 and reported his predicament. Eventually, both vehciles pulled up at a stop light right next to an Albuquerque Police cruiser. The driver laid on the horn to get the cop's attention, then jumped out to tell the cop what was going on. The Chrysler then made a run for it with the cop in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, the red Chrysler evaded the APD and the car's license plate was obscured so the APD was unable to identify the vehicle or its occupants. Thankfully no one was hurt during the chase, and the driver was able to get home safe and sound. Carjacking is a serious crime. The driver in this video did everything right, except maybe delay calling the police a little too long. The crime is so prevalent that the US Department of Justice has tips for avoiding carjacking. They suggest drivers avoiding stopping when signaled by other drivers or assisting during an accident. Calling the authorities should be your first step if you're every followed or harassed while driving. Head to the nearest police station if you can't get a hold of a cop in time. Related Video: News Source: YouTube Auto News Weird Car News Chrysler Police/Emergency police chase carjacking albuquerque

10 automakers shack up in Detroit hotel to talk Takata airbags

Since Takata has decided not to take the lead concerning potential issues with its airbag inflators, the automakers have. Perhaps that's unsurprising, since it's the automakers, not Takata, that will take a beating on the dealership floor if consumers decide its models are a health hazards. The Detroit News reports that Toyota, Honda, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Subaru met in a hotel conference room near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport last week to sort out a way to understand the technical issues involved. So far, faulty airbag inflators have been ruled the cause of five deaths and 50 injuries around the world, but neither Takata nor investigators understands exactly why the inflators are malfunctioning. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently asked Takata to issue a national recall, Takata declined, citing a minuscule failure rate and the fact that it's still investigating the issue. Toyota and Honda then made an industry-wide appeal for "a coordinated, comprehensive testing program" that would pinpoint the problem inflators and get them replaced, and that's what the Detroit meeting was about. Numerous issues, however, will make this a long row to hoe: simply getting the parts to replace the nearly 20 million inflators in cars recalled around the world so far - even working with other suppliers - will take a years, but more importantly, no one knows if the replacement inflators currently being installed will suffer the same issue. Answers will hopefully come quickly with Takata, the ten automakers and NHTSA all independently investigating the problem.